Police officers will be permitted to cite drivers for using an Interactive Wireless Communication Device (IWCD) to send, read or write a text-based communication while the vehicle is in motion.

The summary charge - accompanied by a $50 fine - is a primary offense, meaning officers may make a traffic stop and issue a citation if they view an act that meets the element of offense, according to Tim Dickinson, chief of the Towamencin Township Police Department.

'It's helpful that this violation is a primary offense,' Dickinson said. 'Any activity that distracts the driver of the motor vehicle should be restricted.'

Composing and sending a text - which takes approximately four seconds on average - is similar to driving at 55 mph. with your eyes closed for the length of a football field, according to David Poirier, the deputy chief of the Upper Gwynedd Township Police Department.

'Something is bound to pop up long before you get through those 100 yards,' Poirier said.

The law - which defines an IWCD as a wireless phone, Personal Digital Assistant, smart phone, portable or mobile computer or similar devices that can be used for texting, instant messaging, emailing or browsing the Internet - does not permit authorities to confiscate a device used improperly, according to information posted on the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's website.

It prohibits a driver from sending or receiving a text-based communication that include a text message, instant message, email or other written communication on a mobile device, according to information posted on the website.

'Most people are really going to be unhappy about the ban,' said Meg Kramer, the founder and owner of StreetSafe Driving Academy. 'But it has to be done.'

Though the law permits a driver to use a device to make a phone call, Lansdale Police Chief Robert McDyre reccomends that borough residents utilize a hands-free device as an alternative.

'My belief is that is the safest choice for our residents,' he said in a prepared statement.

The texting ban does not include the use of a GPS device, a system or device that is physically or electronically integrated into the vehicle, or a communications device that is affixed to a mass transit vehicle, bus or school bus, according to the site.

Scott Bendig, deputy chief of the Montgomery Township Police Department, called the law a step in the right direction in terms of eliminating distractions for drivers.

'It makes people aware of the serious problem of texting and driving,' he said.

However, enforcement could present some challenges, according to all three law enforcement officials. Poirier says monitoring the use of mobile devices could be difficult for officers on patrol.

'I'm not sure how the enforcement is going to go,' Dickinson said. 'We'll see what the case law brings.'

Michael Mercadante - an instructor at Driver Trainer Services, located at 217 East Montgomery Avenue in North Wales - says the law should go much further to eliminate driver distraction.

'I wish it did more,' Mercadante said. 'But I'll take what I can get.'

Mercadante says he would favor law that would completely ban the use of all cell phones by drivers in moving cars.

'Research has proven over and over that conversations are the most distracting element,' he said. 'People have a tendency not to treat driving as the dangerous activity that it is. When you become distracted, you are a danger to yourself and everyone around you.'

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